Red Maiden - The 98th Hunger Games
by Fayths
Summary: Violet never thought she would be reaped for the hunger games. At the dear age of twelve, she is transformed from a pampered mayor's daughter to a tribute in a battle royale involving the youth of all the nation. Will she ever see her family again?
1. Chapter 1 - The Reaping

Dancing with the corpse

I'm scared. It feels like there's a knot in my throat. I leave my mum's sides to go at the section for the twelve year old, like me. Today, the whole district's eyes are on us, the youth. We are the one that may be reaped for the Hunger Games. Parents, teachers, shops keepers, even peacekeeper look at us with sympathy. They know that two of us will be send to the Capitol, and be flat-out dead in few weeks. Everybody knows, but no-one speaks. Even here, in the public place, where we hear people shouting and arguing about the prices of things like food and goods, an eerie silence glides all around us. It is broken by the sound of occasional whispers of the grown-ups, betting on who will be picked or who will cry first. The latter kind is the worst kind.

After a few minutes of waiting, a young and peppy lady makes her way toward the podium installed for her. She smiles brightly and shakes hand with the mayor, an old grumpy man who happens to be my dad. My dad is the mayor of the district, he is in his late forty but he looks like a dried plum. Father is kinda cold and mean. I guess he doesn't have much choice.

The lady's smile fills my heart with a light feeling hope. I really don't want to be picked out. I don't want to die. She stands still in front of the microphone. Her outfit looks like somebody vomited colors on a dress and tied an enormous glittery bow on it. I mean, this girl is in her early thirties but she looks like one of those old ladies who got surgery or something. Fashion is weird.

She starts speaking; I can't understand a word. Everything seems so unreal. The Hunger Games, the Capitol, even District 8 seems fakes. We can clearly see the fresh paint on the walls of the building.

I mean, District 8 is a pretty screwed up place. We live in bad conditions, people get sick because of the smoke, children are starving because everything cost so much and the smell is horrible. I hate this place. I would love to be able to leave somewhere else. To be able to live in the Capitol could be a lifetime opportunity. Even though I am the daughter of the mayor, we ain't scoring points of living conditions, we still have days where food is hard to find and I work as seamstress in a factory. Only, I don't work for ten hours a day plus I can go to school. What a life.

The speech is boring. The escort, whose name's Astrid, is rather happy about it though. Even patting herself in the back after the video about rebels dying and stuff. They omit Katniss Everdeen, though. Last time we seen her, she was escaping the Capitol after killing one or two officials. You wouldn't want another fiasco like the 75th Games. That game never ended. The victors either escaped to go live somewhere else, died like martyrs or were captured by the Capitol. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

I look at my mum. She mouths, "I love you," which sends a shock in my spine. I could be reaped and be sentenced to death, right now. My mom's name was Cara, but she changed it to Kara because she found it fancy. My dad, though, has the most boring name ever, George. I think they met during an one-nighter, or something. Since they had sex, Kara got pregnant and a wedding magically happened few months before my birth. They named me Violet.

My thoughts were cut by the sound of my own name. Everybody looked at me. I don't get it.

"Violet Tulippe! Where are you, sweetie?! I don't bite, come!" It was the escort. Then I realized it. I was reaped.

It feels like I was looking at my own body. I see myself walk to the stage then I shake the hand of the escort. I mumble my age at the escort. She tries to hide the sorrow in her eyes while she looks at me, she spins toward the audience and ask for any volunteer. The whole district is quiet. No-one dares to speak up.

An awkward silence stalks the district. Astrid takes a quick glance at me and bit her lips. I wonder why she cares. I guess since the tributes from the Capitol can be reaped, she kinda feels bad for us.

"Well, this is awkward," she announces in her mic, I can hear the distress in her voice. She plunge her hand into the bowl of the males and takes out a name. The funky lady changes her whole body language and starts to beam as she shouts the name of the tribute.

Alexander Mayer.

It's him. Oh crap, I'm screwed. Well, I was already but now, I'm like really deep in trouble. He's the kind of guy who looks really nice and sweet but really, I think he's a serial killer or something. He's eighteen and pretty handsome too. He is also very creepy. That killer combo, though.

The newly chosen tribute pushes roughly the males in his category but nobody dares to call him out. He could just kill them. Tears start to well in my eyes when I see the sadness in my mom's eyes. I look at the side but only meet the gaze of my dad whose pain is present as ever as if he was getting stabbed by someone. I can't stop them from falling when I shake the hand of my district partner. He grins. I'm scared.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Farewell and The Mentors

I block all the sounds from the outside world. I can't hear the screams from my peers. I don't want to hear my escort jabbering. I surely don't want to hear my mentor or my escort. I just hate everything.

I hastily make my way inside the city's hall. I'm going to die. I can do nothing about it but to pray that it'll be fast. I don't care about anybody. I just want to be alone. I entered the elevator that I took several times to see my dad but it just floods me with memory I just want to erase from my brain. Anger change to melancholia. I may never see this place again.

A peacekeeper is beside me. He doesn't budge though when he sees me falling to the ground crying. The rough man only grabs my arm and lifts me like a rag doll and gently drags me to what seems to be a waiting room. He lefts me on a soft red cushion. It's the same color of my hair. I wrap my arms around my knees and wait. I'm going to have visits.

It's seems like eternity before the doors finally opens. Both of my parents are there. They jump me, hugging me and kissing me. They start to sob. I want to cry too but I guess I drain it all. My mom looks right through me and gives me a yellow ribbon. She stands up and ran away crying. I can hear her whispering about how she "can't handle it" and how she "hates this fucking world".

My dad, however, is smiling. He hugs me like a baby and starts to tell the story of when I was young. He's mourning me. Right before me. I don't want to see him like. I feel like running away but I can't.

"You know, Violet, you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he says in between of childhood tales, "I will always love you." I seriously can't deal with this cheesy farewell anymore. I'm going to crumble under a mountain of sadness if these continue. I'm just going to cease functioning.

I still have the ribbon of my mom when the guards enter the room. They ask coldly my dad to leave. He kisses me on the forehead, takes away the ribbon from my hand and stuffs it in the pocket on my white dress. As he gets dragged away, he smiles and whispers, "I love you," I can see my mom crying on the floor. What a life.

The guards shut the door and proceed to put me on my feet. I can't see their faces. I ask them question, but they never answer. It would be too bad if I could get buddy with one of them. For the capitol, at least. You wouldn't want a tributes getting a shank before game or even running away.

I am very tired of being dragged around. But I can't seem to be able to escape their arms as they put me in a car with tinted windows. I can funny looking people outside taking pictures. It must be the journalists. Alexander is hurried in to the same car at the same time that Astrid enters. His blue eyes and blond hair contrast Astrid blue hair and amber eyes. It's pretty weird. I start to open my mouth when Astrid cuts me.

"Soooo, you guys must be so excited to be chosen as tributes, I mean, you have the opportunity of a lifetime" she squeaks, her voices seem bubbly and happy but her face is telling otherwise. She gestures a zip closing her mouth. A silence settles in, she looks at us quickly moving her arms quickly. Oh, she wants us to answer something positive.

My fellow tribute mimicked our escort, "Yes, it's great! I always wished I could get reaped!" He sighs and rolls his eyes while Astrid was smiling as if she won something.

She giggles and starts to compliment herself. Me and Alex locks eyes, he's laughing. Great I've got a lunatic and a psychopath with me. I bet my mentor is an alcoholic

We finally arrive at the trains. I thought we would get down or something, but no. The car simply enters the train. I mean, that's some pretty weird stuff. The doors open and we are, again, hurried to a dining room by peacemakers.

Two people enter the rooms at the same time. One is Maria, a victor who won fifty years ago. I think she won by poisoning the river. She is a pretty nice old lady. She often comes at school and teaches us stuff about herbs and plants. She prepared us for the games.

The other victor, David, is much younger. He's about in his late twenties. He won ten years ago. He mercy killed his partner then went on a murder spree. I think he killed like six people in total only by using a sword. Pretty neat, huh. They both looked at each and started to argue.

"Dibs on the guy!" the old lady said.

"Shut up old granny! I'm not dealing with another twelve year old!" Ouch. I don't like them arguing about us, as if we were pieces of meat.

"Hum, shut the fuck up, thanks. I'm the oldest, so I decide." I know personally Maria, I don't have much choice, if I want allies in this place.

"Mar-mar?" I pleaded sorrowfully.

She turned around and her jaw dropped, her face was saying, "Oh no, I'm taking the girl"


End file.
